Thank you very much for visiting my site.
I'm Louise, a professional portrait artist living in Plymouth, South West England. Art has always been a great hobby of mine. I have always especially enjoyed working with graphite pencil as it allows me to achieve very fine detail. I like the flawless, authentic final result that is produced.
After graduating in 2007 with a degree in Sociology and Psychology, I realised how much I had missed being away from the drawing board. I started to draw pet portraits for friends and family as a hobby, and my business soon started to grow. I have now been working professionally for two years and feel that my confidence and skill have grown with each and every commission.
I am now in the early stages of accepting human portrait commissions. This is a new and exciting time for me and I am very much looking forward to expanding my portfolio.
I have a young Labrador cross called Zach who certainly keeps me on my toes. He is a wonderful companion and is loved by the whole family so I can definitely appreciate the bond that some of you may have with your pets.
About the portraits
Portraits are drawn on Daler~Rowney heavy weight cartridge paper, using a collection of Derwent graphite pencils, ranging from 2H - 9B. I also have an assortment of erasers to help bring out the highlights in the animal's fur. I tend to use different techniques for each piece - after all, every pet is unique! Feel free to explore the Gallery to see examples of recent pet portraits and other animal artwork.
Each standard A4 portrait takes around 10 hours to complete, and I take a number of photographs along the way to note each stage, which can be seen on the Work in Progress section. I like to take my time with each drawing, usually spreading these hours across a couple of weeks, so I can easily spot and rectify any errors along the way.
Portraits can be completed by a requested deadline, for example if you'd like the work finished in time for someone's birthday, as long as I am given adequate notice.
Every portrait is signed and sprayed with artists' fixative before posting; however it is your responsibility to frame behind glass as soon as possible to keep the portrait in good condition.
Please note: Louise retains the right to reproduce any material for advertising purposes, whether this be online or in print. If you specifically do not want the commissioned work to be featured in any of Louise's advertising, this must be agreed prior to the portrait being completed.
